Montados or Montaditos Tapas

For the Spanish, a montado is a flavorful topping "riding" on a small slice of baguette. Montados or montaditos are very commonplace and popular in tapas bars. They come in all flavors -- beef, chicken, pork, sausage or vegetarian, and can be prepared hot or cold. To prepare many montados, no recipe or cooking is needed. Just assemble the ingredients for the toppings and pile them on slices of bread, a sort of mini version of an open-faced sandwich if you will.

Following is a list of popular montados by food type. Consider adding these toppings to any baguette to make the perfect Montado. Don't see what you like? Make your own type of montado.

Vegetarian Montados

There are no rules about what makes up a Montado. Although they may have started out as the Spanish version of an open-faced sandwich -- topping a slice of bread with a little piece of meat -- there are plenty of vegetarian options. You don't have to use meat to make a Montado, and there are several veggie toppings that can be just as delightful if not more. If it can sit on a baguette slice, it can be a Montado, so let your imagination run wild and try these varieties of vegetarian Montados:

Grilled Peach & Roasted Tomato Montado

Tomato, Goat Cheese, and Avocado

Eggplant and Tomato

Grilled Sliced Mushrooms, Onions, and Garlic

Try a Skinny Montado

When trying to lose weight or simply counting calories, instead of using a slice of bread for the Montado base, substitute a Portobello mushroom or a slice of tomato or eggplant. Try these varieties: